• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.153-158
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• 1975

Actinomycosis is a chronic suppurative granulomatous disease due to Actinomyces israelii characterized by multiple abscess and sinus tract formation with dense fibrous scarring. This disease, especially thoracic infection, is very rare in Korea so we are not famiIliar with to make diagnosis and treatment. Otherwise the unspecificity of the clinical symptoms and the lack of adequate examination recedure (as anaerobic fungus culture) are the causes of misdiagnosis. Thoracic actinomycosis is very similar to chronic infectious disease of the lung and chest or thoracic neoplasm. Recently we experienced a case of thoracic actinomycosis (bronchopulmonary) which had been confused with chronic lung abscess and pathologically confirmed as broncho-pulmonary actinomycosis. The purpose of this report is to review our experience more thorouly to enhance consideration of Artinomycosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.419-422
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• 1995

Pulmonary actinomycosis is a chronic pulmonary infection characterized by suppuration, abscess formation, and dense scarring. The causative agent, Actinomyces israelii, is a gram-positive, microaerophilic bacterium that resemble fungi. We recently treated two cases of pulmonary actinomycosis. A patient was underwent right lower lobectomy under the impression of bronchiectasis. Pulmonary actinomycosis was diagnosed of postoperatively. He was medicated with high-dose penicillin parenterally. The other patient was also undergone right lower lobectomy under the impression of broncholithiasis and received parenteral penicillin and oral roxythromycin. There was no recurrence or development of empyema. The purpose of this paper is to review of our experience and to enhance consideration of pulmonary actinomycosis.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.289-292
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• 2006

Thoracic spinal actinomycosis causing epidural abscess and significant spinal cord compression is very rare. A case is presented of a 56-year-old woman with rapid progressive upper back pain and weakness in both legs without evidence of systemic infection. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a thoracic epidural enhancing lesion at the T1-T5 level. After decompression by laminectomy, precise diagnosis was accomplished using specific histopathological studies of the surgical specimens. A histopathologic findings showing typical Actinomyces sulfur granules surrounded by acute inflammatory cells. The clinical radiological findings of spinal actinomycosis closely resemble metastatic tumors and other infectious processes. Delay in diagnosis and treatment can significantly worsen the condition of patient.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.566-568
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• 2014

A 51-year-old woman visited our hospital with massive hemoptysis. She had suffered from recurrent hemoptysis for five years and had undergone bronchial artery embolization many times. The patient had a history of pulmonary tuberculosis and bronchiectasis. Chest radiography showed consolidation around the nodule in the lateral basal segment of the right lower lobe. We successfully performed a right lower lobectomy. The histological study of the resected specimen showed a vegetable foreign body and clumps of Actinomyces, indicating actinomycosis, which was suggested to be the cause of the hemoptysis. This was a very rare case of hemoptysis caused by a vegetable foreign body and actinomycosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1220-1224
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• 1991

A 39 year-old woman presenting with a hemoptysis, pulmonary infiltrate was found to have thoracic actinomycosis by the specimens of excised lung. Recently, pulmonary actinomycosis is very rare by the widespread use of antibiotics. Clinical, radiological, and microbiological findings can be nonspecific. The diagnosis is dependent on a high index of suspicion. Chances for cure are excellent with lengthy antibiotic administration. The purpose of this paper is to review our experience and to remind us of pulmonary actinomycosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.390-394
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• 2008

We report here on two eases of a 48-year old woman and a 46-year-old man who both presented with broneholithiasis and obstructive pneumonitis. Removal of the broncholithiasis failed with bronchofibroscopy, and so right middle lobectomy of the lung were done in the 2 patients. The histopathologic diagnosis was thoracic actinomycosis associated with broncholithiasis. Thoracic actinomycosis associated with broncholithiasis is a very rare condition, so we report here on these two cases of thoracic actinomycosis associated with broncholithiasis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.89-93
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• 1984

These two pulmonary actinomycosis cases had undergone right upper lobectomy and left lower lobectomy individually under the diagnosis of lung cancer and lung abscess. Recently pulmonary actinomycosis is very rare by the widespread use of antibiotics. In addition to clinical similarity to lung cancer and pulmonary tuberculosis, lack of suspicion and difficulty in obtaining adequate culture material also hamper the precise preoperative diagnosis. The purpose of this report is to review of our experiences and to enhance consideration of pulmonary actinomycosis.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.39 no.3 s.260
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• pp.236-239
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• 2006

A 32 year-old man was transferred to our hospital due to blood-tinged sputum for 15 days. He had been treated at a private hospital for recurrent pneumonia. The chest X-ray showed an atelectasis on the right middle lobe. Computed tomography of the chest demonstrated a broncholith on right middle lobar bronchus with lobar atelectasis of the right middle lobe. We tried to remove the broncholith through fiberoptic bronchoscopy, but could not remove it. Therefore, we performed surgical removal of broncholith and the right middle lobectomy. The cause of broncholith was identified as actinomycosis by pathologic examination. The broncholith caused by actinomycosis is rare. We report a rare case of broncholithiasis with recurrent obstructive pneumonia caused by actinomycosis, which was treated by surgical operation.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 1973

This is a report of pulmonary actinomycosis which has been treated with long chemotherapy under the misdiagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis for 14 years and has finally diagnosed by the specimens of excised lung. Pulmonary actinomycosis is very few in recent report by the use of penicillin and sulfonamide, but for the difficult differential diagnosis with pulmonary tuberculosis and carcinoma, It is a choice of treatment for resect for the localized lesions.

• Korean Journal of Head & Neck Oncology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.225-227
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• 2010

Actinomycosis is an unusual granulomatous infection caused by gram-positive anaerobic bacteria called Actinomyces species(predominantly Actinomyces israelii), which is a common and normally nonpathogenic organism found in the nose and throat. The three major clinical presentations of actinomycosis include the cervico-facial(the most common, 55%), thoracic, and abdominopelvic region. Actinomycosis typically has a chronic, indolent course characterized by swelling and induration of the soft tissues and eventual spontaneous drainage through multiple sinus tracts. Actinomycosis is difficult to diagnose because of variable presentation mimicking neoplasm and fastidious nature of the organism in culture. We present a case of actinomycosis in the parotid tip area which was mistaken for a salivary tumor.